The overarching goal of the Administrative Core is to create an environment in which science relevant to IDD flourishes and in which investigators can devote their maximum energy toward the discovery of the causes, consequences, and treatments of IDD, with the least administrative burden. To that end, the Administrative Core is the nucleus of the IDDRC, providing scientific, administrative, and fiscal leadership, and high quality, cost-effective core services. The Core fosters interdisciplinary collaborations, and serves as the liaison between the IDDRC and the UW-Madison, the NIH, and national and international organizations. Seltzer has raised considerable private funds for improvement of IDDRC physical facilities, purchase of scientific equipment for IDDRC cores, program development, and recruitment and retention of investigators. The Core has fostered considerable progress during the past five years, which is described throughout this section.